The present invention broadly relates to transportation or transport apparatus and, more specifically, is concerned with a new and improved balustrade for an escalator or a moving passenger walkway.
In its more specific aspects, the invention is directed to a new and improved construction of a balustrade for a transportation apparatus, such as an escalator or a moving passenger walkway, which is of the type comprising a support body or body member, two balustrade side walls constructed as glass plates. These balustrade side walls are arranged laterally inwardly of the support body or body member. Each of the balustrade side walls is provided with an associated movable handrail. There is also provided a transport means or element, such as an endless revolvingly driven step or tread plate band disposed between the balustrade side walls, an outer cover or cover means and at least one outer deck or sill cover at both sides of the outer cover or cover means and interconnecting the balustrades.
Two primary types of balustrades are conventionally employed in conjunction with escalators and moving passenger walkways. A more old-fashioned construction of balustrade comprises outer and inner cover or lining elements which extend almost to the height of a movable handrail. These outer and inner cover elements are interconnected by a handrail cover profile member in which there is also integrated the guide profile or member for the handrail. The inner cover plates or panels arranged at the side of the steps are disposed vertically or upright at the region of the step or conveyor band, whereas the connection plates or panels situated above the first-mentioned cover plates or panels and which merge at the handrail cover profile or member can be slightly inclined or possess a concave or convex curvature.
A further more recent construction of balustrade comprises a respective vertical or upright glass or compound plate or panel which extends in lengthwise direction at both sides of the step or conveyor band. Each such respective vertical glass or compound plate carries at the upper side thereof a handrail guide profile or member and at the lower side is clamped in a vice-like manner in a balustrade deck or sill which covers the attachment elements of the plates or panels at both sides of such plates or panels. The balustrade deck or sill comprises an outer sheet metal or profile cover which in cross-section is generally horizontally arranged and an inner sheet metal or profile cover arrangement. This inner cover arrangement is vertically disposed at the region of the step or the conveyor band and between the step band and the vertical plates or panels inclinedly descends in the direction of the step band.
A balustrade constructed in accordance with the last-mentioned design has been disclosed in FIG. 1 of the German Patent Publication No. 3,709,637, published Oct. 1, 1987. That patent document teaches a multi-function glass plate holder for an escalator balustrade. FIG. 1 depicts a cross-sectional view of one side of a transportation apparatus with the balustrade equipped with the inventive glass holder. There is also taught the provision of a glass plate which carries at its upper side the handrail guide member and the handrail. At the lower side of the glass plate there is provided a horizontally extending cover profile or member which covers from the outside the glass holder situated at a greater elevation in relation to the upper edge of the steps. An inclined cover profile or member located at the side of the steps covers the glass holder from the inside. The outer horizontal cover member and the inner inclined cover member in conjunction with an upright or vertical cover member or lining arranged laterally adjacent the steps collectively form a balustrade deck or sill which extends along both sides of the glass plate.
A drawback of such escalator balustrade construction resides in the fact that it requires that both sides have a respective inner deck or sill and an inner deck or sill cover. As a consequence thereof the total width of the escalator or moving stairway, with the same width of the steps and the same passenger conveying capacity, is relatively large.